Featuring: Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos Release: March 11, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Dick Ayers Inker: Chic Stone Letterer: Artie Simek 20 pages
“Once again, sudden death claims another victim!” reads the cover.
The “once again” refers to Junior Juniper, the first Commando to fall in battle, all the way back in issue 4. Letting us know that this was a series with consquence. It wasn’t a sure thing our heroes would make it back after each mission.
Since then, they all have turned out okay. But let’s read on.
The art is credited to Ayers and Stone, but Jack Kirby was brought in to redraw most of the famous final sequence.
The issue begins in the middle of intense action. Sgt. Fury is in his fancy duds, clearly having been on a date that’s been interrupted by an air raid.
Featuring: Hulk Release: April 1, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents Hulking story by: Stan Lee Hulksome art by: Jack Kirby Hulkish inking by: Mickey Demeo Hulkable lettering by: Art Simek 10 pages
This is the 10th chapter of the Leader Saga. For 9 issues, Leader has been lurking in the background, secretly behind various threats Hulk has faced. Now they finally meet.
This weird scene weird Hulk is being transported by magnetic waves is notable as it directly ties into Avengers #17, which we will read next.
Featuring: Hulk Release: March 4, 1965 Cover: June 1965 12 cents Story and art by Marvel’s modern masters: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Inking: Mickey Demeo Lettering: Artie Simek 10 pages
With Ditko off the title, Kirby is back to take another shot at his co-creation. Stan shares the top billing with Jack for this triumphant return. The original Lee/Kirby run on Hulk lasted 5 issues. This one will make it around 15 or so. I’m expecting it to be largely immemorable.
We open with a trick out of the Ditko run. The last issue ended with Banner facing impending death and transforms to the Hulk just in time to be saved. Banner and Talbot are falling to their death when Banner transforms.
Hulk crosses the Pacific with leaps. Isle to isle, plane to plane.
That’s… a very long distance, even if you can jump very far. Maybe there are enough islands between Japan and Hawaii to hopscotch it, but it’s 2500 miles from Hawaii to California with nothing in between.
Featuring: Hulk Release: February 4, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents Script by Stan Lee, who created [sic] the Hulk! Art by Steve Ditko, who adopted the Hulk! Inking by Frankie Ray, who fears the Hulk! Lettering by Art Simek, who looks like the Hulk! 10 pages
Hulk remains in the unnamed “iron curtain nation”. We will learn this nation borders Mongolia.
We see an impressive battle with the Soviet military. Hulk’s been fighting the US military since issue 1, but this is the first real all-out battle between Hulk and a bunch of tanks.
The Mystery of the Hidden Man and his Rays of Doom!
Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp Release: February 4, 1965 Cover: May 1965 12 cents Way-out story by: Stan Lee Ring-a-ding art by: Bob Powell Singin’ inkin’ by: Chic Stone Boss balloons by: Artie Simek 12 pages
We need to recall that everything is happening almost concurrently. The X-Men fight the Stranger and then Juggernaut. The Fantastic Four fight the Frightful Four and get lost at sea. The Avengers fight the Masters of Evil, then disband, then get replaced by the New Avengers. Thor fights Absorbing Man, then faces the Trial of the Gods, then the Destroyer. Hulk faces a series of villains controlled by the Leader.
These all overlap to some extent.
We’ve just caught up on 4 months of Hulk stories in this title. We’d been keeping up with the Giant-Man stories, but skipping the Hulk ones. Now we’re caught up to both. The Huk’s saga is continuing, so we’ll read the next 3 issues together.
That’s commentary on when these Giant-Man/Wasp stories take place. They fit better before Avengers #15 or perhaps in the middle of Avengers #16, before Giant-Man and Wasp announce their retirement (page 6). When the Avengers disbanded, it sure looked like Giant-Man and Wasp wanted a break from superheroing. These next 3 issues we are about to read are published concurrently with Avengers #15-17.
Featuring: Hulk Release: January 5, 1965 Cover: April 1965 12 cents Power-packed script by: Stan Lee Hard-hitting art by: Steve Ditko Two-fisted inking by: Vince Colletta Silken-soft lettering by: Art Simek 10 pages
We are almost up to date with our Hulk stories. This is the last issue where we’d read the Giant-Man/Wasp stories in the past.
We just had a discussion about how Colleta’s inking over Kirby.
How do we feel about Colletta over Ditko? The answer is that we dislike all inkers over Ditko. Ditko is best when inking himself. However, the final artwork here looks close enough to Ditko work. Ditko must have done tight pencils. So we don’t hate it. But we don’t prefer it.
Featuring: Hulk Release: November 3, 1964 Cover: February 1964 12 cents Written with the sparkling skill of Stan Lee! Drawn with the peerless power of Steve Ditko! Inked with the classic clarity of George Bell! Lettered with the TV set on by: Artie Simek 10 pages
Recall we read the Giant-Man/Wasp story in this issue a while back, but we’ve saved the Hulk stories for a big push.
Interesting that Stan refers to this as “the only super-hero soap opera”. I feel like that phrase with epitomize Marvel comics for decades to come.
I think it’s time to bid farewell to George Roussos, one of the most prominent inkers of our early reading, always under the pseudonym George Bell (oft abbreviated to Geo. Bell). We’ve read almost 50 stories with his inks, including Fantastic Four, Sgt. Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Human Torch, Giant-Man/Wasp, and Hulk stories. He’s off to do other work. He’ll return to Marvel in the 1970s and become one of Marvel’s most prominent colorists. He’s also been coloring much of the work we’ve been reading, but I’ve read most of his stories in recolored reprints, so miss out.
We open with Banner in jail, suspected of treason. He is taking tranquilizer pills to keep himself from transforming. Remember, it’s now strain that triggers the transformation.
Featuring: Tales of Asgard Release: June 1, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Written with gallantry by: Stan Lee Drawn with greatness by: Jack Kirby Inked with grandeur by: Vince Colletta Lettered with a straight face by: Artie Simek 5 pages
Featuring: Thor Release: June 1, 1965 Cover: August 1965 12 cents Who but Stan Lee could have written this tale? Who but Jack Kirby could have drawn it? Who but Vince Colletta could have inked it? Who but Artie Simek could be called Artie Simek? 16 pages
Interesting grid layout for the cover. Haven’t seen too many of those from Kirby. I’m guessing that’s because something went very wrong here. As all four cover panels are just taken from the interior art.
Either Kirby didn’t finish a cover or his cover was rejected. This looks like somebody scrambling at the last minute to get something, anything on the cover before the book got printed.
This is the June issue of Thor. We’ve read almost consecutively since January and are now 3 months ahead of the rest of our reading. We’re going to pause after this issue, despite the inconclusiveness of the ending. We need to check in on our other heroes. Because we’re mostly in March with our reading, I don’t want to worry too much about June things right now. Like, let’s not focus on the fact that “Marvel Comics Group” has apparently become “Marvel Pop Art Productions”. We’ll reflect on that when we reach June properly.
For now, a recap. Loki has helped an evil and unnamed hunter locate the Temple of Darkness, which housed the Destroyer, a mindless being imbued with the power of Odin who would one day defend Earth in its hour of need. The Destroyer took the hunter’s mind, and has awakened too early, and thinks Thor is who it’s meant to destroy.
It’s already destroyed his hammer.
But Thor really just wants to bring his bag of Norn Stones to Odin to prove Loki cheated in the Trial of the Gods. All-wise, all-seeing Odin is not aware of these Stones because he’s currently taking a nap.
Loki likes to torment Thor, but is afraid his latest scheme will result in Thor’s death. He doesn’t mind Thor being dead, but fears the punishment of Odin if he is blamed. He has thus attempted to wake Odin and save Thor, but was thrown in prison for it.
Whew. That’s where we left off.
Oh, and the Destroyer was moments away from killing Thor, and still is.
Featuring: Thor Release: May 4, 1965 Cover: July 1965 12 cents A story steeped in splendor by: Stan Lee Artwork bathed in beauty by: Jack Kirby Inking dipped in drama by: Vince Colletta Lettering couched in clichés by: Artie Simek 16 pages
We are now 2 months ahead of everything else in our Thor reading because it’s all just flowing together. Thor still hasn’t returned to Asgard with the Norn Stones that will prove Loki cheated in the Trial of the Gods.
He is still flying with Kim, whose entire family was recently killed by her Communist brother.
In the early (generally awful) Thor stories (#83-100), the villains were pretty lame. Loki was the only real stand-out. A couple others, like Radioactive Man, had potential. When Kirby became the primary artist and the stories started to improve, we got some better villains: Executioner, Enchantress, and Grey Gargoyle.
Now that the series is kicking into high gear, we are getting great villains. We recently met Absorbing Man and now get introduced to the Destroyer.
